Book Review: Night of the Furies

In Night of the Furies, David Angsten weaves history, mythology, and thrills into a novel that’s as difficult to put down as the first book in his Night-Sea Trilogy, Dark Gold, with an even harder edge. Night of the Furies takes us to Greece, where Jack Duran is once again lured by his semi-crazy brother Dan into a secret world of mysticism and peril: this time, they attempt to plumb the disturbing depths of the Eleusinian Mysteries, literary ground I haven’t traveled since reading Mary Renault’s The King Must Die decades ago.

As it turns out, there’s as much danger inherent in the Bacchanal today as there was in the time of Theseus. And the Furies are real. Trust me.

While brothers Jack and Dan are as thick as thieves, one thing does come between them: the beautiful Phoebe, a Dutch foreign exchange student as alluring as she is untouchable. Her presence disturbs as much as the terrible truths Jack and Dan unearth.

In the last quarter of the novel everything crashes together into a shattering climax that will have you on the edge of your seat, gripping your e-reader with damp fingers. It’s that good. From heart-pumping chases across ancient rooftops to sensuous orgies to the horrific secrets behind the Eleusinian Mysteries, there’s something for everyone in Night of the Furies.